Sri Lanka have made a U-turn and refused to play day-night Tests against Pakistan in Dubai. They say the team’s players had no experience of playing under artificial lights with pink or orange balls, that is why they could not carry out an experiment at this moment in time, and that too in the most superior format of the game.

Sri Lanka said first they test the innovation in domestic cricket to make players familiar with it, and only then they would think about playing day-night Tests at the international level.

The Pakistan Cricket Board had suggested including day-night Tests in the series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka scheduled to be held late this year. At first, the Sri Lankan board appreciated the proposal, but now it backed out, and not without a solid reason. Sri Lanka’s stance seems rational as Pakistan have experienced day-night Tests in two domestic seasons and their players are more familiar with pink and orange balls.

As the dream of Pak-Sri Lanka day-nights Tests has shattered, let’s see which teams blaze a trail in this regard. South Africa expressed their interest last year to hold day-night Tests, but no concrete step has been taken yet.